Sterilizer and sedimentizer



Sept. 19., 1944. H. F. PEAVEY 2,358,414

v STERILIZER AND SEDIMENTIZER I Filed July 5, 1941 INVENTOR 1173mm fifi-Avsy ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 19, 1944 uni-Tao STATES;

. or ies;

STERILIZERAND SEDIMENTIZER?" Harold-F. Peavey,- Springfield; Mass-. assignor to:

Leon J. Barrett, Worcester,

Mass:

ApplicationJuly 5, 1941, sr'ia fne. 401,231} 6-Claims.-- (o1. ale-52.5;

if-he resentinvention relates to a device adapted for sterilizing fluids, particularly viscous fluids, and for simultaneously causing the pre-.- cipit'at'ion of sediment within the fluid. The device is primarily intended for the treatment of 7 Where the oil or other fluid; viscous inrcharacter; is subjected to heat for sterilization, the" viscosity of the fluid is reduced as the tempera= ture of the fluid is raised; so that the sediment in'the 'oilmay bereadily precipitatedwhile' the oil is in thesterilizer and at the-high tempera-- ture; During-the heating of the oil, however,

when a disk-like convective currentsset up extend entirely across the area of the tank and-do not-permit the particles of sedimentary material to pass. downwardly through the heating coil and. into'the. bottom of the tank. A further feature of theinvention resides in: providing agheating element having the necessary areafor rapid heating, but at the same time leaving a substantial area of the tank freefrom heating coils so that adownward. flow of oil unimpeded by heating coils may'take place during the heatingof the oil. In this Way sediment may be deposited out during the heating of the oil as well. as after the'heating has. been discontinued.

Other and furtherobjectsand advantages of the invention will hereinafter more fully appear from the, following description taken'in connectionqwith the accompanying drawing, in which-e Fig.,l is aside elevation, with parts; broken away, of a sterilizer embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation, with partsbroken away, showing a modification.

.Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional View along the line 4-4 of Fig. 3. I v

.Referring first toFigs. 1 and 2, the combined sterilizer and sedimentizer comprises a tank I,' preferably cylindrical, the upper end of which is closed by a cover 2, that may be removed for cleaning .or inspection of the inside of the tank. The bottom Wall 3 of the tank is conical, as shown,

this character, th'e'oil'is' heating element is used, the

toforma receptacle in which the. sediment. from" the oil. or other fluid within theta'nk'is couected, a drain spout 4 ageing prol'lide'df a .djacefitthe lowermost 11.115 of theeone fdhthe removal of the seidimentary material. A

baflle' 5 eiite ndiflg vifiallyf'to' define an; outer compartmentiii' and V aii'inh'er compartment 1." The upper end 'of the baillei'sfspacedfrom the" 1o cver 2 and is locatedbelowfith'e'normaloil-level The 'lowe'r'en'd' of the a 'when" the tank is fun:

ballieiis spaceda substantial distancefrom' the conical bottom 3 "of the tank toprovide fora" circulation of thefluidfrom one compartment to' the other.

Positioned in 'onerof the compartments for'the purpose of heating the "fluid in'the tankis a heating coil 9f this"co'il' beinglocated in the outer compartm'entin the particular arrange 2o, merit shown, and comprising'a' spirally coiled pipe into which steam"may"be introduced; It-

will be noted that the successive; coils of the heating element are spacedapart'verticallyto form a frustro-"conica'relementsothat-themove ment ofoilf past the separate coi-ls is not mater'i'ally impeded; Itwilhbeapparent that the space between adj'oining'coils is greater wheni they are spaced apart verticallyfthanfif they were all'in the "same horizontal plane: 7 Suitableinlet-andoutlet ports-IO-and ll-are provided'forthedelivery-"of steam to the heatingf element. A-suitableport l2 provided for the drainage of "the sterilized and-sedimentized oil,

and" a port 12 at the -to-p of the tankdsused as by -a pump connected preferably has connected for filling the tank thereto. The port [2" v theretoapipe I2" extending downwardly cen-' trally ofthe tank to a point adjacent the bottcmthereoi. In-this' 'way --discharge 'of oil is 40 directed" to a'point near the bottom of the tank 1 and any 5 impurities will tend to remain at or i belowithisi level. g

The 'cross-sectionalareas, 0f. the two compart ments' 'B and 7 are preferably approximately the same; allowing for the area of the heating coil;

Under "the influenceofthe' heating" coil the oil heated thereby tendsito rise in the com'pa-r ment 6, and at the top of this compartmenttheoil flow is directed inwardly by a frustro-conioal baflle" l3;,"so that, as indicatedfby the-arrows, the nil-flows downwardly through-the conipartf ment]. At the lowenendof the bafile' fi-the" direction'of'flow" of theoilisreversed; as in-'-' di'cated'; and the oilmoves *upwardly-oven-the '1 heating coils." These convective currentswhich Positionedv within'th'e' tank is a cylindrical lateral openings 2| 2 are set up under the heating action are comparatively slow and therefore do not tend to stir up any of the sediment collecting on the cone or bottom wall 3. The circulation of the fluid assures a, uniform heating of the entire body of fluid.

The sediment, part of which settles by gravity, is also precipitated when the direction of the flow of fluid isreversed at the lower portion of the tank. The tendency-of the particles is to continue to move in a straight line rather than to be turned and caused to move upwardly with j the fluid, and this action,

although mild in character, assists in the removal: of all sedimentary particles from the fluid. Obviously, the lower end of the baffle is spaced from the bottom wall a distance sufliciently. to permit oil to flow around the end of the baffle without establishing any currents wall 3 as to stir up, any sediment deposited.

Referring now to Figs. has a small diameter cylindrical baflle l5 centrally of the tank and extending from the cover 16 toa point approximately on the level of the lower edge of the cylindricalside wall M of the'tank. In this modification, heating is provided by one or more series of electrical heating elements l1, Fig. 4, each series being suitably positioned within Fig.4, to form a frustro-conical heating surface.

' The positioning of the heating elements slant wise rather than in a horizontal plane permits alarger sectional area of the compartment in which the heating element is positioned and also impedes the flow of oil past the element as little as possible. This structure is useful where the shop in which the sterilizer is installed does not have a, continuous supply of steam under pressure. The baflle l5 has a series of openings therein below the normal level of fluid 'in the tank to provide for flow from. one side thereof to the other. the flow of fluid in a predetermined path.

.In certain installations it may be desirable to circulate the fluid positively rather than to rely upon the convective currents established by the heating action. In this event, as shown in Fig.3, a, suitable slow speed motor [8 is mounted on the cover It and has adownwardly' extending shaft on the lower end of which is carried a propeller 20. The propeller is positioned inbaffle l5, and the rotation of the,

side of the propeller aids in causing a flowof fluid down wardly inside of thebaffle l5 and upwardly over the coil IT. The Y therein through which fluid flows to be directed downwardly by the propeller, permits a circulating action to prevent overheatingof the fluid in contact with the heat when electrical, It will be ing elements, which, especially have a relatively high temperaturenoted that a plate 2| baflie l5 directs the, fluid laterally and prevents currents set up by the circulation of the fluid from stirring up thesediment in the bottom of the tank. T l

I claim: 1. Apparatus for prising in combination a'tank, a substantially annular heating element within the tank, a

cylindrical bafile positioned vertically inside of the heating element, and completely submerged by fluid in said tank, said baffle being spaced so close to the bottom 20 3 and 4, the tank M heating area in comparison to the cross- 7 baffle l5 with the series of below the lower end of the I the treatment of fluids, com-f the tank, asshown in Thus the baiiieis effective in directing M tirely within said body,

1pletely submerged the tank and dividin lection of impurities out of the to direct fluid from one side of the cylindrical baffle to the other.

2. Apparatus for the treatment of fluids, comprising in combination a tank, a frustro-conical. heating element within the tank adjacent the lower end thereofand a tubular bafile positioned vertically within the heating element, and comby fluid in said tank, to define an inner and outer chamber within the tank, the ends of said baffle being substantially spaced from the top and bottom walls of the tank.

3. Apparatus for the treatment of fluids, comprising in combination a tank, a substantially vertical baffle completely submerged .by fluid in said tank and dividing the tank into separate compartments, the ends of the battle being spaced from the top and bottom of the tank to provide for flow of. fluid from one compartment tothe' other, and a heating element positioned in one of the compartments, said heating element causing the continuous flow of convective currents in the fluid in the tank with said our- I rents flowing upwardly in the compartment in 3which the heating element is located and downwardly in the other compartment.

4. Apparatus for the treatment of fluids, comprising in combination a tank, a substantially vertical bafile. completely submerged by fluid in the tank into separate compartments, the ends of the baffle being spaced from the top and bottom of the tank to provide for flowof fluid from one compartment to the other, and a heating element positioned in one of the compartments, the bottom of the tank being spaced substantially below the lower edge of the baifle to provide a space for the colpath of the convective currents established in the fluid when heated by said element.

5. Apparatus for the treatment of fluids, comprising in combination a tank provided a substantially conical bottom wall, a heating element extending upwardly above said bottom wall and providing portions at different radial distances from the longitudinal axis of said tank, and -a cylindrical ballie extending vertically of the tank within said heating element, and completely submerged by fluid in said tank, said baflie being spaced above said bottom wall at its lower end and providing for the flow of fluid into its upper end above said heating element, asa result of convective currents established in the fluid due to the heating thereof.

-6. An improved method for the treatment of viscous fluid to remove sedimentary material, which consists in confining a substantially cylindrical body of fluid to be treated, subjecting said fluid body to heat distributed along the axis of said body and at varying radial distances therefrom to set up oppositely flowing convective currents in said body parallel to its axis, and positively dividing said currents, en-

into an outer upwardly flowing stream, along said zone of heat distribution and an inner downwardly flowing stream entirely separated from the said outer stream.

HAROLD F. PEAVEY. 

